Belhaven Scottish Ale | Belhaven Brewery Company Ltd.

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Notes / Commercial Description:
Our signature Scottish Ale is the beer we've brewed the longest and is our best-selling bottle world-wide. We brew it from 100% Scottish Optic and Crystal barley malts for a nutty, biscuit character, balanced with a subtle spiciness from Challenger and Goldings hops for an all-around satisfying beer.

Reviews by Doppelbockulus:

More User Reviews:

The first time a had this beer was on tap and the Nitro Can is just as amazing. This beer is just awesome, it is hands down one of the best beers I have ever had.

The pour is perfect, the foam is perfect, the taste is slightly creamy yet full of unique flavor that is difficult to describe. The aftertaste is clean and perfect. I am so glad they have this in the Nitro Can. Highly recommend!

Was at Phil's Liqour and the owner suggested this beer after I told him what I was looking for in a beer this warm Sunday afternoon. The guy never steered me wrong before, so this is what I got. It was a copper colored ale in a stout looking clear bottle. Poured into a Sierra Nevada hop tulip it poured with a very creamy looking 1'' head which steadily receded to about a quarter inch. Smells for the glass are nuts, bread dough and a smell I cannot identify. First impressions on taste are exactly as it smells. Pleasant, pleasing, and leaving a very slight sourness that lingers on the palate, with just a touch of bitterness balancing it out. Halfway down the beer I come to a conclusion. This beer is lower in alcohol, not a ton of flavors, and nothing fancy about it, but in a good way. Like an old tree that has taken ages to attain a good form, it reflects simplistic beauty. These beers subtly lull you into spending an afternoon drinking and enjoying good beers without getting hammered. A beer that could appeal to even those who are not beer enthusiasts as well. A solid B+ to the folks who made this beer. If it wasn't 12 a six pack, I would put it into the regular rotation, but this will be a once in a while relaxing Sunday beer from now on.

The beer of my house is now under the Belhaven flag. I'm a big fan of this beer and couldn't speak more highly of it. It's a sweet, smooth ale that doesn't get disgusting as you drink more of it. I would recommend this beer to anyone. It's quality through and through!

This is the benchmark by which I judge all other beers in the same category, and one of the best examples of a balanced beer I have ever come across.

The clarity of this beer is excellent, its light caramel-brown appearance attractive. Pours a worthy head with decent staying power.

Malty, slightly biscuity & caramel notes greet the nose and, after a bold hop blast of flavor to the tongue, one is reintroduced to the same malt, biscuit, & caramel notes on the palate. Maybe even the slightest hints of toastiness. Nice, smooth mouthfeel. Such perfect balance. So drinkable.

There are two differant versions of this beer, One is a normal carbonated version that comes only in bottles, And a Nitro version that comes only in cans.. There both 5 star beers but i feel like there should be separate ratings for both, some people are reviewing the nitro version and some the carbonated.. Personal i like the Nitro caned version more, Both very sweet caramel malt forward..

What is Vienna for lagers, that is Scottish ale among ales!
That flavor of roasted hazelnuts...OMG,Ferrero Rocher can only dream of having it!!!
To fully apreciate this beer, one has to have a broad knowledge of beers.
Had before 100+ good or great Scottish ales, but this one is closest to perfect beer.
Commercial descriptin said it all, but I would underline it's nutty flavor and spicines comming from fresh noble ale hops.
No shortcuts were taken in brewing this beer.
Wish i could get it on tap or as nitro can.That would be for all 5s!

I have had this many times from the bottle and for the first time had on a nitro tap at the Lucky Dog a local establishment.Great pour (wich I expected)very creamy with a light bronze color,aroma light a little fruity and metallic.Nice mellow taste fruity and even a little smokey?Some metallic notes in there,seemed almost marshmellow-like,had three before I knew it.I really like it out of a nitro tap,hell my wife even had three.

Appearance  The good, rapidly-foaming head settled over a clear, light-brown, whiskey-colored body.

Smell  The aroma of scotch and malt come out nicely at the nose. There seems to be a sweetness in there as well. Its like a combination of grapefruit, orange, and citrus hops.

Taste  I like this. Its a little more subtle and balanced than the St Andrews Ale. The scotch is barely there, but noticeable. The sweetened, toasted malts come on very well followed by a small but refreshing hop balance.

Mouthfeel  This is a little heavier than the St Andrews, but otherwise quite similar. The lack of carbonation and refreshing mouthfeel makes this an easy drinker.

Drinkability  This went down very well. It is a nice and very refined offering from Belhaven.

Pours a thick, deep brown with a reddish tint and very high carbonation that cascades in the glass, presumably due to the can's widget; the head rises out of the can as soon as you crack it. A thick creamy beige head that barely reduces as you drink. Milky and delicious and gives you a moustache.

The flavour is fairly mild: a little bitter but with warm buttery hints and the almost milkshake consistency of a thick stout. Not overpowering but also not bland. I've had it with food and it works. Definitely bready and dense.

The mouthfeel is probably my favorite thing about Belhaven Scottish. I know I'm overusing "thick" here, but it's a thick beer and it coats your tongue in a good way.

Pour/Appearance: Chestnut brown hue with a thin head and slightly below average retention/lacing. Large chunks of yeast were floating in the bottle, mostly towards the bottom.

Smell: The smell is mostly mash/wort with a hint of caramel.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation.

Taste: Smoked peat, caramel.

Overall: The character is what one would expect a scottish ale to be. It tastes of the earth and the malts that make it up. The bottle describes a mix of malt and nutty flavor. Nutty did not come to mind, but I suppose I could get there.

A: 16.9fl.oz. bottle. Poured a fluffy half a finger head - was expecting more head. The color was a dark copper hazy brown with some golden highlights at the bottom of the glass. Some carbonation visible. Decent lace and spotty on the glass.

S: Initially, I was getting some hoppiness with hint of fruit but the main smell was like a woody grain Whisky. Very appropriate for a Scottish Ale! As the drink progressed, the smell definitely moved into the malty area.

T: Initially, I got the pay-off of the grainy woody Whisky type smell. A very interesting taste for sure. I got some very subtle fruit (predominantly apple type flavor) and hoppy sourness. It felt pretty well balanced but there was complexity without enough of the right type of focus for me. As the drink progressed, it got more malty, caramel but throughout, the aftertaste was a little disappointing - florally with a flat mineral water.

D: A good quality and distinctive ale. Makes me want to try more Scottish Ale and try more from Belhaven for sure. Not sure if I could drink more than one or two of this particular brew. I'd like to try it on tap.

A: Pours a reddish amber color, crystal clear, with a rather abundant foamy head of about an inch or so. Retention is relatively low, reducing to a fluffy white ring of bubbles. Good lacing.

S: Malts are first to the nose, with an earthy secondary aroma. The aroma is interesting, with a smell sort of like toasted bread crust.

T&M: Rather malty with with a balance between sweet and bitter, although I don't really catch any hoppiness to speak of. The flavors have an earthy, almost smoky flavor about them. This brew sits rather full on tongue, with a relatively creamy disposition due to the light carbonation and well matched components. The finish is relatively quick with a bit of a bitter linger.

D: Complex flavors seem to match well with other 'Scottish Ales' that I have had. There is a real earthy flavor and texture that certainly makes it seem believable that it is from a place as rugged as Scotland. Good; recommended.